The Semester in Review

Anna's Semester

At times I couldn’t wait for this project to be over, but now that the project is finally coming to an end, it’s bittersweet.  The dedication to this one project was a lot more than I’ve put in to any other class project.  All of these restaurants would have been a lot less interesting if I had to go alone, and I’m so glad Sarah asked to join this blog!  We’ve definitely been through plenty of chaos.  But now here it is, my final thoughts for you.

1. The Favorites: I added up all of my scores, and I was surprised to see that all of my scores were pretty similar.  Out of 50, the scores usually fell in the upper 30s.  However, there were two that stood above the rest: Yia Yia’s and Banhwich.  Both scored a 47, which is obviously near perfect.  Not at all surprised those were the highest scores. Before I started this blog, Yia Yia’s was probably my favorite place to go in Lincoln.  I had never been to Banhwich before, but I am determined to go back after our blog trip.  (Just a little obsessed with it.)
2. The...uh...Less Than Favorites: Again, all of the places we went to scored very similarly. But out of all of them, Crescent Moon was the very lowest.  I kinda want a do-over here, because I didn’t order coffee.  During coffee week, keep it simple and just get coffee.  Lesson learned.
3. The Rewards: What really made this project worthwhile was watching all of your votes pour in each week.  Naturally we had A LOT of votes the first week, but that tapered off a bit.  We honestly couldn’t have done it without readers, and for that I thank you.  It was YOU who made this project rewarding for us.

via GIPHY

Sarah's Semester

I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a project that has required participation multiple times a week, so this was a first for me.  Initially, I was worried the project was going to be harder having a partner, but Anna is just the greatest.  Our schedules overlapped perfectly for a few hours once a week, and that was exactly what we needed to take our adventures around Lincoln.

1. The Favorites: Since Anna already broke down the scores above, I’ll go with my opinion on my top spots.  I loved Yia Yia’s.  Plain and simple, it was cheap, close, tasty, and quick.  It’s hard to lose when you hit a 10 in so many categories.  The pizza was tasty and the downtown location is hard to beat.  I also really loved Toast.  It definitely had some of my favorite food of the semester--it’ll just have to wait for my return trip until I have a little more cash to spare on a night out to eat.
2. The Not-So-Favorites: Crescent Moon was definitely the most disappointing.  I think I had hyped it up a little bit before we went and was expecting greatness and it did not deliver.  As Anna said, when going to a coffee shop, coffee should have been what we ordered.  Maybe someday I’ll take a trip back down and give it a second chance.  Dempsey’s was another one that wasn’t my favorite.  I wasn’t as disappointed when we went here because I knew that I wasn’t a huge fan before that meal.  It is close to campus, though, which is always nice.
3. The Rewards: I don’t just want to regurgitate what Anna said, but it really was all of you viewers that made the project so rewarding!  It’s awesome to know that our Facebook friends and Twitter followers are interested in what we are doing and willing to go vote for our project to help make it more successful.  Without those votes, we wouldn’t have been able to cater our blog to our audience interests.  It was also very rewarding to get out and see different restaurants in Lincoln that we may not typically have ventured to.  Engine House Cafe was definitely worth the crazy 30 minute drive, but not a place I would have picked on my own.  So thank you for everything you all have done this semester and helping us make this assignment so successful!

Crescent Moon Can't Hang

We were glad to have a winning location down in the Haymarket, so we took an afternoon stroll in between classes to Crescent Moon Coffee.

Food/Drink

Sarah - 4

I ordered a Chider.  It was written on a chalkboard at the cash register as a holiday special so I thought I’d give it a try.  It was supposed to be an apple cider crossed with a chai tea latte, two of my favorite things.  It wasn’t.  It seriously tasted like heated up apple cider purchased from a grocery store in a 1 gallon jug.  Talk about disappointing.  It didn’t taste anything like chai tea (and trust me, I’ve been around the block a time or two when it comes to chai lattes) and by the time we got back outside, about 5 minutes later, the drink was lukewarm.  I can’t say I’m looking forward to a return trip, but I’m hoping that maybe it was just an off day or a poor drink choice.

Anna - 3

Normally I drink coffee like a Gilmore, but when we went to Crescent Moon I was feeling something cold and sweet.  So I got a strawberry smoothie, and it was probably the worst smoothie I’ve ever had.  First, it was served in a styrofoam cup, which is weird for any cold drink.  That was my first red flag.  Then when I actually tried it, it had a weird foamy texture to it.  Usually smoothies are either creamy and yogurt based or heavy on fruit and ice.  This was a totally different experience and not one that I would ever want to repeat.  Should’ve stuck with coffee.

Price

Sarah - 6

I paid $4 for my 12 oz. of disappointment.  When I ordered the drink, I was really excited about the crossing of my two favorite warm drinks, so $4 didn’t pain me too bad as I was expecting greatness.  After my first sip, however, I felt as though I had just thrown those $4 away.  

Anna - 4

I paid more than $5 for my smoothie.  Sarah said she felt like she had thrown that money away, and I actually did throw a lot of that smoothie away.  As a college student, I don’t have that luxury to just waste five bucks on an experiment.  I could’ve went to Banhwich and gotten a sandwich for that price.

Service

Sarah - 8

In spite of the drink being pitiful and the price being a bit high, the service wasn’t bad.  All the barista did was whip up our drinks and then call them out from behind the counter.  She was quick at making the drinks (and maybe forgot a key ingredient in mine….?) and was overall quite polite.  Nothing crazy to mention here.

Anna - 9

Even though the smoothie was terrible and overpriced, the service was great.  Our barista was super crazy fast, which is always appreciated.  Like Sarah said, nothing too crazy to mention here.  It was standard service.

Atmosphere

Sarah - 9

Again, despite the poor drink and crazy price, I actually really loved the atmosphere of Crescent Moon.  It was kind of hipster, quiet and cozy.  It was nice and low-key--totally the perfect place to do homework on a chilly winter night.  They had WiFi, which I was able to connect to my phone very easily and quite a few tables to sit at and do homework.

Anna - 9

So Crescent Moon is in the basement in the haymarket, and as I opened the door, immediately I said it smelled good.  Walking in, their space is little, almost hidden away.  I thought we might have found the best kept secret in Lincoln.  Then I ordered a smoothie.  But the atmosphere is very, very quiet.  It would be a perfect place to study, as they have free WiFi.  They have a stage as well, so you know there must be some Friends style coffee house performances.

Convenience of Location

Sarah - 8

Anything that is walking distance from UNL’s campus deserves great points here.  Crescent Moon is located in the Haymarket, at about 8th and P Street.  The only reason it didn’t receive a perfect 10 was that it is located in the basement.  You have to know what you’re looking for in order to find the entrance of Crescent Moon.  Had I not been with Anna to know where I was going, I probably could have gotten lost.  Their mystery might be what causes the coffee shop to be so popular, but an extra sign out front could be at least a little helpful.

Anna - 9

Walking distance from campus.  Those four magic words will always score well for this blog. It was super easy for us to walk to Crescent Moon between classes and walk back with our drinks. That convenience can’t be beat.  I’m so thankful that we were able to go quickly, as it is Thanksgiving break and we both have plenty of things to do this holiday.

Dempsey's Chance for Redemption

Dempsey’s made the cut to have a second chance!  Here’s what we thought about our meal.

Food

Sarah's House Burger with Truffle Fries

Sarah - 5

I have been to Dempsey’s a few times now, and I have never been impressed by their burgers.  This time I played it safe and just got a plain cheeseburger and asked for it well done.  It was NOT well done.  It wasn’t far off, but it still was a little unsettling.  I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to send the burger back and wait for a new one.  I ordered a side of truffle fries, and the portion was definitely not the greatest for the price.  It came with two sauces, one that tasted like a homemade ketchup and one that they called a truffle sauce.  The burger was very underwhelming and the fries were tasty, just expensive!

Anna's Fish & Chips

Anna - 8

Real talk:  I’ve also never been a fan of Dempsey’s burgers.  It’s not that they’re bad, but compared to some of the other burger places in Lincoln it’s super overrated.  So I didn’t get a burger.  I opted for their fish and chips, which I definitely liked more than their burgers.  It’s served on an entire BASKET of fries.  I probably took 90 percent of them home.  The fish was really great, but I would’ve like it more if it was served in smaller pieces.  I would cut one bite and try to dip it in the tartar sauce, but because it was so light and the sauce was so thick, the fish would break off in the sauce.  This left me trying to fish out my fish (wow such humor) from the little sauce dish.  If the fish had been served in smaller pieces, I could have just dunked them using my hands.

Price

Sarah - 5

One of my biggest complaints about this restaurant is just how pricey it is.  I paid 14 dollars, after tipping the waitress, for a plain hamburger and truffle fries.  Definitely, definitely not worth it.  As I said above, the portion of the fries was not worthy of being charged $2.50.  There was nothing extraordinary about the hamburger to be worthy of them charging $9.

Anna - 7

The fish and chips is definitely a bargain.  A regular basket of fries is $4, and the fish and chips is $11.  I paid less than Sarah, and I took most of mine home.  Once you have to pay extra for a tiny little side of fries, the burgers are really not that great of a deal.  

Service

Sarah - 5

Mediocre is definitely the perfect way to describe our restaurant experience.  I walked in a minute or two before Anna and Peter and a sat at a large booth, and the waitress came over and brought me one menu.  I definitely was a little offended.  When Anna and Peter arrived, she brought over two more menus, took our drink orders, and then left again.  I was going to the Husker volleyball game right after dinner, and our waitress took her sweet time bringing our checks and took even longer to ring them through.  Definitely kind of frustrating.

Anna - 5

We waited close to thirty minutes for our food. It was ridiculous.  Our food was hot when we got it, so I assume the delay was in the kitchen, but it was so frustrating to wait that long.  We were all so hungry when we got there, so waiting that long was not at all appreciated.  As Sarah said, she had to leave right away, and it’s never fun to be waiting on the restaurant.  She was definitely in a rush to get to the volleyball game.

Atmosphere

Sarah - 7

This is an older building, but it was actually fairly clean.  We did have a fly buzzing around our table the majority of the time we were eating, which is never very welcomed.  The music wasn’t too loud, the temperature was comfortable, and there was enough space in between each table to not feel overly crowded.  For a Wednesday night, the restaurant was decently busy, which may have contributed to our slow waitress, though there were three that were working.

Anna - 8

I do really enjoy the atmosphere of Dempsey’s.  I love all the old posters, the metal bar stools, and the pool tables in the back.  If anything, their big old mirror is a little trippy.  I always think there’s another room or something when I look at it.  The one thing that set’s Dempsey’s apart from other Lincoln burger joints is that it also has a bar, so the vibe is definitely really laid back.

Convenience of Location

Sarah - 9

I was very excited to see that Dempsey’s had won for only one reason--I could walk to dinner from my apartment.  Because Dempsey’s is one block off from campus, across the street from the Lied Center, it was super convenient for me to get to dinner.  No complaints on the location aside from the fact that there is construction going on next door, so there are only three or four meters out in front.  The Que Place parking garage is across the street, which makes things convenient, and the first hour in that garage is free.

Anna - 9

Hallelujah, I didn’t have to drive for 20 minutes to get to dinner.  This was the most convenient location we’ve been to in awhile, and I was so appreciative.  I also had to attend The 20th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a UNL show, and Dempsey’s was literally two blocks away.  I also got parking just a few blocks away.  I can’t ask for anything much more convenient than that.

Peter's Bleu Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Peter:

Food - 8

Price - 7

Service - 6

Atmosphere - 9

Convenience of Location - 9

Coffee Coffee Coffee

Mo Java

Located just two blocks west of Nebraska Wesleyan’s campus, Mo Java is known for their coffee as well as their café food features.  It is a great place to study in a place that is away from the hustle and bustle from UNL’s campus and typical coffee shops.

Destinations Coffee House

Destinations Coffee House, located across the street from the Devaney Center, prides themselves on being created to help facilitate college student growth in their faith.  Each cup of coffee is made-to-order and with large tables and comfy couches, Destinations is a great place to study, whether that is for class or the Bible.

Crescent Moon

Hidden in a basement in the Historic Haymarket, Crescent Moon coffee is a great, quiet place to study and enjoy a great caffeinated beverage.   Not only do they sell coffee, but they also sell snacks and various alcoholic beverages, in case your studies need a little extra boost.

The Coffee Roaster

The Coffee Roaster is proud to air roast coffee, stating that it is simply a better way of roasting high quality coffee beans.  This small shop is located at 50^th and Old Cheney.  Another option for getting away from campus for studying, their coffee is consistently smooth, easy on stomachs, and will never leave a bitter taste.

Meadowlark

At 16^th and South Street, Meadowlark Coffee was opened in April of 2005.  Their coffee and tea is made with purified water and their pastries, sandwiches and desserts are made locally.  They host live art shows and music frequently, so this would be a great place to spend a Friday night rather than attempting to study during the week.